Concentrating unit



Nov. 24 1925 v A. H. STEBBINS CONCENTRATING UNIT Filed March 9. 1 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

N M KH /N VEN TOF? ATTORNEY Nov. 24 1925. 1,563,238

'A. H. s-rzaams CONCENTRATING UNI I' Filed March 9. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3 1a 14- 13 J: 7P

/Nl/ENTOR-' Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED. STAT PATENT. OFFICE.

ALBERT'I-I. STEBBINS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CONGENTRATING UNIT.

Application filed March 9, 1923. Serial No; 6235890.

To all whom it may concern: a

B e 1t known that If, A BERT Srnneixs, a citizen of the United States, residing at f Los Angeles, in the county of Los i-kngeles and State of Calitornia, have invented an Improvement in Concentrating Units, of which the fol-lowing description in connectionwith the accompanying drawings; is a j specification, like characters on the drawings for the separation of representing like parts.

This invention relates to a' separating. unit, and more particularly to an installation for passing air through several concentrator tables.

Concentrator tables are extensively used ores and other ma terials in accordance with their differences in specific gravity, and two different types of concentrator tables are now in general use, one type is known as the wet conjcentratofr table and the other type is known as. thedryl concentrator table. In the Wet type water is used to promote separation of the materials, and 1n the dry type air is forced through the materials to promote separation thereof.

The present invention relates to mechanism for sup-plying air under pressure to a plurality of dry concentrator tables, and to mechanism for conducting from the tables the air which has passed through the material being treated.

One important feature of the present in-.

vention resides in a construction by which air under" pressure is supplied to several concentrator tables from a common source of" air pressure, such as a fan.

Ano her feature of the invention resides ina construction whereby air that is supplied to p different concentrator tables is conducted from each of the tables to a common suction means, and the air being conducted from the concentrator tables may be passedthrough one or more dust extractors to re move the dust. I

Other features of the invention andnovel combination of parts in addition to the above will be hereinafter described inconneetion with the. accompanying drawin s ijfliieh illustrate one good practical form ther of. a

In the draw"' js:, N

i out elevationot a group of and shows conduit an: 110 and from the Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale, is a rear elevation of two of the concentrator tables of F1'g..1, the air supply conduits being The present invention is applicable to any i type of concentrator table 111 which air'is used in separating materials, and the concentrator tables 10 of the drawingsmay be regarded as any conventional type of dry concentrator tables. Thetables 10 may be arranged side by side as shown, or they may be distributed about a building to meet the requirements of various working conditions.

Each concentrator table 10 may consist of a supporting frame 11 upon which is mounted a deck 1:2. These decks are usually supported at a lateral inclination as shown to impart a lateral move at to the materials being: treated, and the decks usually are-in the form of relatively long" closed receptacles having. a deck surface. 13 mounted between the upper and lower faces of the'deck.

The materials to be treated may be delivered to the deck surface 13 by a hopper 14;. at one end of the cleclnaiiicl travel of the materials along the deck surface is cold monly obtained byvibrating' the deck back and forth in the generaldirection of its length. l y 1 i The deck surf-ace 13 is commonly provided with inclinedriflies 15, and apertures 16 formed in the decksu'rface permit com-, pressed air upwardly through the apertures and through the materials upon the deck surface.

In the concentrator table construction shown air. is delivered. to thedeck atone end thereofv and below the deck surface 13 by wide hood l7, and the cover tor the deck is shown as having a cone shaped portion 18 from which a conduit 19 leads. The construction is such that air under pressure is delivered to the deck below the deck suras b as ed 7 m dtheeir l vh P e iipwardly through the a ertures 16 and ac eumulates above the dec surface is carried ofi? by th'e conduit 19.

As are poin ed t th w e we the s app c e to an m te r e when tvpa ea a ra a' table mp iiigair as a separating medium, and it is below the deck surface to pass therefore heiiev'ed to be unnecessary t-ddescribe herein in detail a particular type of concentrator table.

The present invention contemplates that each of the tables 10 be supplied with air from a common source of supply, and to this end air under pressure is supplied by a fan 20 and may be led therefrom by a main conduit 21 toward the different tables 10 to be supplied. Branch conduits 22 leading from the main conduit 21 to each of the tables 10 are provided, and the main conduit 21 preferably is installed below the floor 23 of the building as shown so that it will be out of the way of persons attending the concentrator tables installed upon this floor. The size of the main conduit 21 preferably is reduced as shown in the direction in which air passes therethrough, and in pro portion to the number of branch conduits leading therefrom, thereby to maintain the pressure in the conduit substantially constant by reducing the area of the conduit as the volume of air passing therethrough is reduced by the branch conduits.

Since the table decks are usually vibrated back and forth during the treatment of materials, a flexible connection 2% serves to connect the upper end of each branch conduit 22 with the lower end of a hood 17 leading into a deck. The amount of air supplied to each deck may be controlled by providing each branch conduit with an adjustable valve or gate 25.

From the construction so far described it will be seen that each concentrator table 10 receives its supply of air from the fan 20, that the main conduit leading from the fan to ard the concentrator table may be mounted below the floor 23 where it will be out of the way, and that the supply of air to each concentrator table may be controlled as desired by the valves or gates 25.

In mosttable concentrators it is desirable to provide suction means for removing the dust laden air that accumulates above the deck surface 13, and the present invcntioii contemplates a construction in which a single suction means may serve to remove air from a number of diflerent concentrator decks. It may also be desirable to provide means for extracting dust from the air drawn off from the different concentrator tables.

In the construction shown, a suction fan 26 is provided to exhaust air from the space above the deck surface 13 of each concentrator table, and a suction dust collector 27 is interposed between the fan 26 and the concentrator tables 10. The dust collector 27 may be similar in construction to that disclosed and claimed in my Patent No; 1.569,910,.filed April 13, 1922, and conduits shore mentioned may lead rroin each con-- centrator deck .12 to an auxiliary drum 28 of the dust collector 27. This will permitthe heavier dust to settle in the drum 28 before the air passes into the main portion 29 of the dust collector for further treatment. A conduit 30 leads from the dust col lector 27 to the fan 26 and serves to draw the dust laden air from the diiferent concentrator tables.

The dust collector 27 will remove a large portion of the dust from the air before it reaches the fan 26, and if desired, dust may be further removed from the air by passing the air through one or more dust removing devices after it leaves the fan 26.

In the present construction air discharged from the blast side of the fan 26 passes through a conduit 31 to a blast dust collector 32, and after leaving the dustcollector 32 it may pass through a conduit 33 to a different type of dust collector 3st for final treatment. The dust collectors 32 and 34 if desired may be similar to the dust collectors disclosed and claimed in my applications, Serial No. 553,120, filed April 15, 1922, and Serial No. 565,199, filed June 1, 1922.

As a result of the present construction a single suction fan may serve to remove dust laden air from a number of concentrator tables and may serve also to pass the dust laden air through one or more dust removing devices. The amount of suction pro duced Within each deck may be controlled as desired by providing a valve or gate within each conduit 19.

What is claimed is:

1. A concentrator unit comprising in com bination, a series of concentrator tables each having an enclosed deck, a deck surface therein, and an air chamber below the deck surface; means for supplying air under pressure to each deck from a common source, comprising a fan and conduits for conducting air under pressure from the fan to each deck; and means for removing the dust laden air from the diiicrent decks comprising an exhaust dust collector, an auxiliary dust collector connected to the exhaust dust collector between the latter and the decks to form a container adapted to receive the discharge ends of the different conduits and to provide a. settling chamber, separate branch conduits leading from each deck to the auxiliary dust collector, and a suction fan for sucking the dust laden air from the different.

decks successively through the conduits, auxiliary dust collector and suction dust collector.

2. A concentrator unit comprising in com bination, a series of concentrator tables mounted on the same floor of a. building and each having an enclosed deck, a-deck sur face therein, means for supplying operating air to each deck from a single source com prising a fan, a main air conduit leading from the fan and located below said floor out of the way, separate branch conduits extending upwardly from the main conduitto each deck to supply air under pressure to the decks; and means for removing the dust laden air from the different decks compris- 5 ing an exhaust dust collector, an auxiliary dust collector connected to the exhaust dust collector between the latter and the decks to form a container adapted to receive the discharge ends of the difl'erent conduits and 10 to provide a settling chamber, separate branch conduits leading from each deck to the auxiliary dust collector, and a suction fan for sucking the dust laden air from the dilferent decks successively through the conduits, auxiliary dust collector and suction 15 dust collector.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to thls specifieahon.

ALBERT H. STEBBINS. 

